Venue

Performance Notes

In “Colette,” based on the life of the foremost female French novelist, Giles Nuttgens’ gorgeous cinematography invites us into the lush, candle-lit world of late 19th century France, contrasting the thick greenery outdoors of the countryside with the highly decorated interiors of Paris. Both locations are seductively lavish, not in terms of the money spent by the people who live there, but in the wealth of lived-in detail bathed in soft, golden light. Colette herself, played by Keira Knightley, is in increasingly stark contrast to both settings, too curious and independent-minded for the quiet life of the country, too honest and unconfined for the conventions of the city.

Portrayed by Keira Knightley, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was a French writer, actor and feminist icon whose work caused an uproar in the early 1900s. The biopic Coletteshowcases Colette’s upbringing and unveiling of her work, while also shining a light on her distraught relationship with Willy, the lover who took credit for her first four novels.